News of the Church

By Nicole Seymour, Church Magazines

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Members Hear General Conference, Announcements in 80 Languages

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Two new temples and a special celebration planned for Joseph Smith’s birthday highlighted announcements during the proceedings of the 175th Semiannual General Conference, which was interpreted into 80 languages.

During his opening remarks, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that a new temple will be built in South Jordan, Utah, in the western part of the Salt Lake Valley. President Hinckley also announced that to meet demands as membership grows, an additional temple site has been acquired in the southwest part of the Salt Lake Valley.

In his closing remarks, President Hinckley announced that he plans to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s birthday by traveling to the Prophet’s birthplace in Vermont just as President Joseph F. Smith did to mark the 100th anniversary of the Prophet’s birth. Members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will participate in the celebration broadcast from the Conference Center.

Simultaneous interpretation for this general conference was done in 80 languages—more than any past conference—through interpreters stationed both in the Conference Center and in 26 international remote studios. All sessions of conference were televised via the Church satellite system to nearly 6,000 Church-owned sites in 81 countries. Live audio was available online in up to 61 languages for most sessions. DVD or videotape recordings will be sent to Church units in areas where satellite and other transmissions are not available, making general conference proceedings available to members in more than 160 countries.

A member listens to conference in one of 80 languages (inset) at the Conference Center (above).

A decade has passed since President Gordon B. Hinckley introduced “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” on September 23, 1995. Since then, the proclamation issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has stood as a standard in defense of the family.

Speaking of the proclamation, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “It was then and is now a clarion call to protect and strengthen families and a stern warning in a world where declining values and misplaced priorities threaten to destroy society by undermining its basic unit” (see this issue, p. 41).

Based on gospel truths, the proclamation has been a guide in the home, the community, and world meetings concerning the family; a pillar of strength in political circles; a missionary tool; and a building block for greater Church emphasis on the family.

A Warning Ahead of Its Time

In modern society, where family values have deteriorated, the proclamation offers eternal truths concerning the importance of founding families on righteousness. The proclamation was issued before society at large recognized the extent of the decline of the family, said David C. Dollahite, professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University.

Before introducing the proclamation at the general Relief Society meeting in 1995, President Hinckley described the state of society: “The world we are in is a world of turmoil, of shifting values. Shrill voices call out for one thing or another in betrayal of time-tested standards of behavior. The moral moorings of our society have been badly shaken” (“Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 98).

The proclamation clearly states doctrine that promotes the sanctity of the family in a society where families are being undermined by adultery, divorce, cohabitation, abuse, homosexuality, abortion, teen pregnancies, pornography, disobedient children, economic struggles, an increasing unwillingness among married couples to bear and rear children, and more.

Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how the eternal perspective of the proclamation provides a better perspective for understanding the value of family relations: “A child hearing and believing the words of the proclamation regarding families united eternally would begin a lifetime of looking for a holy temple where ordinances and covenants perpetuate family relationships beyond the grave” (“The Family,” Liahona, Oct. 1998, 12; Ensign, Feb. 1998, 10).

A Guide for Families

“The more surely you rear your children in the ways of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with love and high expectation, the more likely that there will be peace in their lives,” said President Hinckley (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 99).

The proclamation states: “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).

Virna Rodríguez of the Panorama Ward, Guatemala City Guatemala Mariscal Stake, told the Church magazines that in a world of confusion, the proclamation is a guide: “It has helped us prioritize our activities, know our responsibilities, and recognize our blessings.”

Lee Mei Chen Ho from the Tao Yuan Third Ward, Tao Yuan Taiwan Stake, said the proclamation has taught her that family relationships help develop divine characteristics such as faith, patience, and love. “When I try to improve myself according to the proclamation, I can experience real happiness,” she said.

The proclamation offers solutions, according to Richard G. Wilkins, professor of law at Brigham Young University. “The fact is … the family is the best place for men, women, and children to be,” he said. “There are problems in families, and they need to be fixed. … The proclamation addresses the things that go wrong in families. It reminds people that our homes can be, and should be, a refuge and a sanctuary.”

A Call to World Leaders

Since 1995, the proclamation has been translated into 77 languages and distributed to many world leaders. The proclamation asks citizens and government leaders to protect family values: “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”

“There are a number of [pro-family] organizations that have been established in the last 10 years,” Brother Dollahite said. Many of those organizations are acquainted with Latter-day Saint beliefs concerning the family. “The proclamation has been used as the basis or at least as one of the sources of language or ideas to craft statements that support marriage and family life,” he said.

On December 6, 2004, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the findings of the November 2004 Doha Declaration, which contains many of the proclamation’s central teachings. Among the principles contained in the declaration that are similar to those in the proclamation is the concept that marriage is between man and woman, with each partner of equal esteem.

At the European Regional Dialogue Conference on the Family in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 2004, Bonnie D. Parkin, Relief Society general president, was given the opportunity to speak. She supported her comments with the proclamation.

A Compass for Research and Advocacy

Elder Merrill J. Bateman of the Presidency of the Seventy has said, “The proclamation serves not only as a handbook for family living, but also as a compass for family research and advocacy” (“The Eternal Family,” BYU Magazine, winter 1998, 29).

Brother Wilkins, managing director of the World Family Policy Center, said the center’s goal is to “develop good, scholarly support from BYU and around the world for the principles in the proclamation and to bring them to the attention of world leaders, because many people understand and share the values of the proclamation.” He said reasoned evidence and discussion tend to bring support for the family from large international audiences.

Each year BYU hosts 40 to 50 ambassadors from various nations for a conference on the family. The proclamation is presented to every leader at the research-oriented conference. “We don’t preach to the ambassadors about religion,” Brother Wilkins said. “We bring in distinguished sociologists who talk about how marriage between a man and a woman is unique and produces more positive outcomes for society and individuals than other forms of relationships.”

A Banner to the World

Brother Dollahite, editor or coeditor of several books on the proclamation, said: “I think that anyone who reads it with an open mind and an open heart is going to be touched by the Spirit. They may not recognize why it just seems to ring true to them, but, as does scripture, to honest hearts and minds it very much rings true.”

In El Salvador, Church members partner with school administrators throughout the country to teach moral lessons. One of the lessons is about families, and among other Church materials, the proclamation is used.

A teacher in El Salvador attended a chapel open house because she had seen the moral lessons given in the schools. “I have seen the change in my students’ lives, and I said to myself, ‘I will go to see if I can find something to help my own family,’” she said. “After visiting the presentations, I think the only thing I have to do is to make the decision to change. I want to receive the missionaries because I need help for my children” (Central America News of the Church, in Liahona, Jan. 2004, N13).

“Today I call on members of this Church and on committed parents, grandparents, and extended family members everywhere to hold fast to this great proclamation,” Elder Ballard said, “to make it a banner not unlike General Moroni’s ‘title of liberty,’ and to commit ourselves to live by its precepts” (see this issue, p. 42).

The proclamation on the family has been a guide to families and even world leaders for 10 years.

2006 Mutual Theme Encourages Youth to “Arise and Shine Forth”

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The 2006 Mutual theme for young men and women around the world is “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” (D&C 115:5).

“We are grateful for valiant youth who show their love for the Savior by letting His light shine forth in their lives,” says a statement released by the Young Men and Young Women general presidencies.

Youth leaders are encouraged to emphasize the theme during Mutual and other youth activities. The theme can also be used for youth talks and thoughts and can provide focus to activities such as dance and music festivals, youth conferences, and camps.

The Young Men and Young Women general presidencies expressed the hope that the youth and their leaders will build on their experiences in 2005 celebrating the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration.

“With testimonies of the restored gospel vibrant and strong, we can now share our feelings, our experiences, and our talents with the world,” the statement from the general presidencies said. “What a glorious responsibility it is to be shining examples—to share our testimonies of the Restoration by living gospel standards and serving others.”

Youth can use the 2006 theme to explore ways to give service, share the gospel, and live gospel standards as outlined in For the Strength of Youth.

“We bear testimony that the Lord loves you and needs you to help build His kingdom,” the statement said. “You can be a light that dispels darkness, revealing by your example the path to celestial glory in the kingdom of God. ‘Arise and shine forth,’ that the Spirit of the Lord may continue to bear witness of the Restoration of the gospel through you.”

Youth around the world will focus on the theme “Arise and shine forth” in 2006.